Manjurul Murder

Five AL leaders dropped from supplementary charge sheet

The supplementary charge sheet in the Awami League (AL) leader advocate Manjurul Imam murder case was submitted yesterday, dropping the names of five local AL leaders from the charge sheet due to lack of evidence.
The supplementary charge sheet was submitted to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court at around at 11:30am accusing four locals of the murder.
The Awami League leaders, whose names were dropped from the charge sheet, are general secretary of Khulna district AL and former whip Mostafa Rashidi Shuja, his younger brother and Jubo League leader Moazzem Rashidi Doja, former mayor of Khulna city corporation Kazi Aminul Huq, incumbent general secretary of Khulna city AL Mizanur Rahman Mizan and KCC commissioner of ward no 23 Imam Hasan Chowdhury Moina.
The four men accused of murdering the AL leader are Ganesh Banerjee, Shukur Gazi, Rabbi alias Ripon and Shahadat. Another accused earlier in the main charge sheet, Imam Sarder, was killed in a crossfire incident on August 20 in 2004.
All five are known to be outlaws from the banned Bilpobi Communist Party and Jonojuddho faction of Purbo Banglar Communist Party.
Inspector Chittya Ranjan Pal of Detective Branch of Khulna Metropolitan Police, who was responsible for further investigation of the case, said in his supplementary charge sheet that he was not able to find any evidence in support of the AL leaders' involvement.
Slain Manjurul's eldest son Abdullah Haroon Rumi, a prosecution witness of the case, said in his deposition in the court on February 25 that the named five AL leaders had planned his father's murder.
The judge of the Speedy Trial Court then sent the docket of the case back to the CMM's Court for further investigation following an appeal by Special Public Prosecutor advocate Abu Zafar on March 18.
The CMM ordered the IO to submit the supplementary charge sheet by June 15.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Haroon Rumi has said that his family would later comment on the supplementary charge sheet.
“We will not let his murder go unpunished,” Rumi said in a reaction, and questioned the IO's impartiality in the case.
City AL general secretary Mizanur Rahman Mizan and ward commissioner Moina, whose names were cleared from the charges, expressed their satisfaction over the investigation.
Khulna City AL president advocate Manjurul Imam was killed in a bomb attack on the morning of August 25 in 2003 in front of his residence at Shamsur Rahman road in Khulna Sadar thana.
His assistant Advocate Bijon Bihari who was with him on a rickshaw at the time and the rickshaw puller Sayedul Islam, later succumbed to their injuries sustained in the attack.

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